Welcome back to another segment of the Lake Ridge Picayune.
By the way, “picayune” is defined as “something trivial” by Merriam-Webster,
which I think fits perfectly since these are my thoughts on different topics.
Also, it pays homage to my high school newspaper, which was also called the
Picayune and was where I had my first sports story published. . . Now let’s get
to the real topic.

The 2015 Masters Tournament is less than two weeks away. It’s
a perfect way to essentially and unofficially kick off the golf season.

Annually golf’s greatest players meet at Augusta National
Golf Club in Augusta, Ga. There they’ll play one of the most challenging
courses on the circuit. Legends from years past and the greatest up-and-coming
stars, meet in the same tournament to decide the winner of the club’s signature
green jacket.

This year’s Masters feels like it’s completely up in the
air, which could be a good thing. However, I think the general consensus is
that the majority of golf fans really like having that one guy (e.g. Tiger
Woods) being the man to beat. But I guess we’ll have to wait and see how the TV
ratings look after the event.

Personally, I like a wide-open field. I think a close
contest of three or four guys competing is more exciting than one guy simply
blowing away the entire field, like what Tiger Woods did in the past.

In this year’s
Masters field, there are a lot of names that I think would be great to see
them win. Some of these guys already have a green jacket, but I think they’re
all very likeable guys and easy to cheer for.

Bubba Watson

Defending champion and two-time Masters winner.
I’ve worked at golf courses for almost seven years and I’ve had plenty of chats
about PGA tournaments on TV with guests passing through the golf shop. I can’t
say I ever remember anyone not liking Bubba. As I said, he’s the defending
champion and has won two of the last three Masters, so maybe he should be
considered the “man to beat” this year.

Adam Scott

I’ve always been a fan of Adam Scott. He’s a
quiet competitor, but he plays some of the best golf in the world. Nothing too
flashy, but definitely scores very well. His only major victory was in 2013 and
it came at Augusta. He is Australian so he’s not the “hometown pick” for any
American but I’d still like to see him win it.

Rory McIlroy

I know some golf fans aren’t too high on
McIlroy. But his achievements before the age of 26 are pretty impressive and
speak for themselves. McIlroy has won every major tournament except for the
Masters. He won his second PGA Championship and his first British Open
championship last year and is currently ranked #1 in the world by World Golf Ranking. He’s definitely a
contender, but we can’t forget about his implosion at the 2011 Masters.

Fred Couples and Tom Watson

These two are my sentimental picks. What’s not
to love about these two? Couples and Watson are 55 and 65 years old,
respectively, and are expected to play in the tournament this year. They’re
living legends to some and who wouldn’t want to see either of them beat out the
young guns for second or third green jacket? Their best years may be behind
them, but you never know what might happen once the tournament begins.

So
there they are, who I’d like to see win the 2015 Masters. I used my head, my
heart and both to make the picks. Who do you think will win the tournament? Who
would you like to win the tournament? Tell us on Facebook and while you’re
there, don’t forget to enter our Pick
the Winner contest for the 2015 Masters you could win two free rounds to
Lake Ridge Golf Course!